Clashes Resume In Syria, Activists Say

"Syrian forces and activists have clashed during after-prayer protests in Damascus, as Arab observers continue their mission in the country," the BBC reports. It adds that "activists said troops fired nail bombs to disperse protesters who retaliated with stones in the suburb of Douma."

Reuters is reporting that "Syrian security forces shot dead at least five protesters in the northern city of Hama on Friday, a rights group said, while Arab League monitors were touring the city as part of a Syria-wide trip to assess whether Damascus has ended a crackdown."

Thursday, NPR production assistant Ahmed Al Omran reported for us on the death of Syrian citizen journalist Basil al-Sayed who was documenting some of the latest protests when he was shot in the head.

Because the regime of President Bashar Assad does not allow foreign journalists to freely report in Syria, most of the information from there about this year's protest has come from citizen journalists and activists.